Fake news impacting societal trust: INFORM speaker

Countless reports in recent years have catalogued the declining trust in media. The epidemic of fake news has in the past year made it more acute and media organisations face the ongoing challenge to their business models that means journalism and quality content is being eroded – and the fourth estate undermined almost to a point of no return.

“It’s the core of a lot of pain and disruption we are facing in the world, and it comes down to the decisions we make,” Botsman says.

“Because of the flood of information, the flood of influencers and the decline of so-called experts, how do we make decisions around who is trustworthy, who to vote for, what products and services to buy, and what to believe in the world? My theory is that it gives rise to different voices, often voices that tap into feelings of fear, fatigue and anger versus people who really speak to fact. Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton and Brexit are the example of that playing out,”

“Fear and cynicism are a threat and the media can amplify that or correct that. If we’re not going back to these institutions of trust, what is the role of media in an untrustworthy world?” Botsman questions.

This abridged article has been republished with the permission of AdNews. The full interview can be found here.